The Pepsi Center is the site for an East-West matchup as the New York Islanders take on the Colorado Avalanche. It’s the last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The opening face-off is at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 31, and you’ll be able to witness the game live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
New York Islanders at Colorado Avalanche Odds
New York enters the contest as the narrow favorite with a moneyline of -115. The line for Colorado sits at -105, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
New York is 20-18 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 0.7 units this year. Through 38 regular season matches, 25 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just two have pushed. As a road team in 2017-18, the Isles are 8-12 SU.
New York has converted on 21.7 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 30th in the league, and it’s successfully killed off only 74.8 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Isles have been penalized just 3.5 times per game this season, 3.2 per game over its last five contests total, and 3.6 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .907 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (11-12-2) has been the top option in goal for New York this season. If New York decides to rest him, however, head coach Doug Weight could turn to Thomas Greiss (9-9-2 record, .883 save percentage, 3.83 goals against average).
The visiting Islanders will be led by John Tavares and Josh Bailey. Tavares has 49 points on 21 goals and 28 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 15 different games. Bailey has 11 goals and 38 assists to his nameand has logged a point in 26 games.
Colorado is 18-19 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.1 units this season. 22 of its outings have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 11-8 SU at home this season.
The Avalanche have converted on just 19.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.6 percent of all penalties.
Avalanche players have been whistled for penalties 4.3 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.2 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Semyon Varlamov has denied 28.8 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Avalanche. Varlamov has 13 wins, 12 losses, and two OT losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.94 goals against average and a fairly-weak .909 save percentage this season.
Nathan MacKinnon (16 goals, 27 assists) will pace the attack for the home team.
New York Islanders at Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
New York is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Colorado is 1-1 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in three of New York’s last five outings.
Over New York’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-5 in those games).
